On Wednesday, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died at his home in Cambridge, England at age 76. In his brief history of time on Earth, Hawking arguably became one of the most pivotal figures in science—known most widely for his calculations showing that the surface of black holes emit radiation (known as “Hawking radiation”) that makes them eventually disappear.

With its looming turrets and Gothic arches, Bowles Hall looks like something out of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or maybe Grimm’s Fairy Tales. These days, that seems appropriate: A fairytale ending is in the works for the long-neglected 86-year-old landmark on the slopes of UC Berkeley’s Strawberry Canyon.

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A year ago, the government reopened after a two-day shutdown. In its wake, we looked closely at Trump’s influence, asking questions like: How much of an impact is Trump exerting on our underlying institutions? Are his actions a pause in government-as-usual, or could they change the essential nature of the American polity?

Said Paul Prierson, UC Berkeley professor of political science, in 2018, “I’m especially worried about the corrosion of our system of checks and balances, given that people are exhibiting loyalty first and foremost to party and coalition rather than the institutions they represent.”